finnCap Group PLC (LON:FCAP) said it recorded its strongest ever first quarter in 2020 with revenues 50% higher than the same period last year, boosted by capital raising activities, which has flourished during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. The broker helped clients raise significant sums of cash to strengthen their balance sheets, particularly in the tech and life sciences sectors, with Avactas £48mln fundraiser among the highlights of this busy period. The company, which has added M&A and debt advisory to its traditional investment banking services, told investors that market volatility had provided a fillip too by helping drive up trading income. Turnover for the three months ended June 30, 2020, was £9.8mln, up from £6.5mln, while advisory fees were also £6.5mln.
Thor Mining PLC (LON:THR) (ASX:THR) said it has received positive assay results from samples identified as having vanadium potential taken from field sampling in the Colorado mineral claims held by American Vanadium Pty Ltd. Other samples, identified as potentially uranium-rich, are being assayed at a separate laboratory facility which is better equipped for samples of this nature. American Vanadium holds interests in uranium and vanadium-focussed projects, in Colorado and Utah in the United States of America. Thor announced plans to acquire it in June, subject to satisfaction of due diligence requirements. In a separate statement, Thor Mining also announced that at the company's general meeting held on Tuesday, all resolutions were passed.
SkinBioTherapeutics PLC (LON:SBTX) has said its collaboration with Winclove Probiotics on the development of a food supplement is well ahead of schedule. SkinBio is working with Winclove on a probiotic food supplement to help manage the symptoms associated with the skin condition, psoriasis. The good news is that Winclove has already come up with a formulation to be known as AxisBiotix Ps. Before going into commercial production, the product will undergo a human study with patients suffering from mild to moderate psoriasis. SkinBio stressed that the study will be a food supplement study, not a therapeutic trial, and as such should not take as long.
Open Orphan PLC (LON:ORPH) said its hVIVO lab services operation has signed three new contracts, adding to the momentum behind the business. It has landed work with NoBACZ, a spin-out from the University of Cambridge, a new second deal with Nearmedic, and has agreed to run testing for an unnamed Cambridge, Massachusetts biotech. "We are now continuing to sign additional new virology services contracts with third-party customers,” said Open Orphan chairman Cathal Friel in a statement.
In a separate statement, Open Orphan also said it had received notices of exercise of warrants by investors who participated in the Venn loan note financing in December 2018 over 1,749,732 ordinary shares in the company at a price of 0.1p each for 619,448 ordinary shares and at a price of 2.2p for 1,130,284 ordinary shares. The gross proceeds of this exercise received by the company amount to £25,485.72.
Seeing Machines Limited (LON:SEE) has welcomed the passing in the US House of Representatives of the Moving Forward Act, a new automotive safety bill. It promises to drive demand for the companys own driver monitoring system (DMS) technology, which use cameras and facial recognition to ensure drivers are paying attention to the road. The Moving Forward Act specifically includes a plan to mandate driver monitoring in cars and trucks sold from 2024. It will also require new vehicles to have automatic braking, lane-keeping, blind-spot detection, event data recorders at the same time.
Rosslyn Data Technologies PLC (LON:RDT), the Big Data technology company, has been earning brownie points by helping its clients manage more efficiently during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. The group said that while its own operations have not been adversely affected by the lockdown, a lot of its customers have had to find new ways of doing things, and Rosslyn's technology has assisted in enabling them to do this. The coronavirus pandemic has also highlighted new risks within the supply chain and Rosslyn said it has been able to assist its clients to better understand where the risks are and enabled them to build increased resilience into their supply chains.
Frontier IP Group PLC (LON:FIPP), a specialist in commercialising intellectual property, has revealed that its portfolio company, Celerum Limited has been sub-contracted to support software development for Aberdeen-based marine logistics firm PlanSea Solutions Limited. The company noted that the work builds on approaches proven in a number of projects undertaken by Celerum founder Professor John McCall, former Head of the School of Computing, Science and Digital Media at RGU who has more than 25 years research experience in nature-inspired computing (NIC) which looks to develop new software and AI algorithms based on natural processes and behaviours. Examples of NIC include particle swarm optimisation, based on how birds and fish behave in flocks and schools, and genetic algorithms, software techniques based on natural selection and evolutionary genetics. Frontier IP holds a 33.8% equity stake in Celerum.
Collagen Solutions PLC (LON:COS) has inked a new three-year agreement with NovaBone Products, which produces US FDA-cleared synthetic bone grafts. NovaBone is a long-standing customer, since 2015, with the AIM-quoted firm supplying specialised collagen biomaterials specific to their line of bone graft products that are used in orthopaedic and dental applications. The contract begins with a minimum 3-year period and It formalises a longer-term supply arrangement to ensure NovaBone has consistent and increased access to this specialised material to support their continued growth.
Live Company Group PLC (LON:LVCG) said it has agreed two new contracts for its BRICKLIVE events in the group's second-quarter as a number of zoos hosting its events begin to reopen following the coronavirus lockdown. In an update for the quarter, the media and events group said it has agreed to display its BRICKLIVE Ocean content at the Da Vinci Science Centre in Pennsylvania, while it has also signed a deal to display its Paw Patrol tour at the Odysseum museum in Köln in Germany until August. The company also said its BRICKLIVE Animal Paradise tour was now open at the John Bull Zoo in Michigan, while its BRICKLIVE Supersized content was now open at the Marwell Zoo in Hampshire and its BRICKLIVE Ocean exhibit is scheduled to open soon at the Bristol Zoo Gardens. The firms BRICKLIVE Big Cats show is also due to open at the Banham Zoo in Norfolk at the end of July.
Impax Asset Management Group PLC (LON:IPX) saw its assets under management (AUM) rise sharply in the April-June quarter of 2020. At the end of June, the group's AUM stood at £18.1bn, up 25.8% from the end-March figure of £14.4bn. "Despite recent market volatility, Impax has again delivered significant growth, with net inflows of over £960 million for the quarter to 30th June,” declared Ian Simm, the chief executive of Impax in the third-quarter update.
World High Life PLC (AQSE:LIFE) (OTCQB:WRHLF) said its CBD brand, Love Hemp has successfully landed ISO 9001:2015 certification to provide an international mark of quality. The certification confirms the brands quality management standards, efficiency and customer satisfaction. It follows a rigorous and comprehensive company-wide audit by a recognised certification agency, the company noted. The process began in June 2019 and the on-site audit completed in April.
Braveheart Investment Group PLC (LON:BRH) has updated on the development of a coronavirus test by its portfolio firm, Paraytec Limited, in partnership with the University of Sheffield. The investment firm said Paraytec has completed the first four stages of a five-stage process to produce an artificial version of the coronavirus in order to avoid using live versions of the disease during proof-of-concept development of the test, and that the final construction stages of the viral mimic will be reported on in the next phase.
Argo Blockchain PLC (LON:ARB) said it has repaid a debt taken out last year and reported on its expanded cryptocurrency mining capacity following its first month of operation after the latest Bitcoin halving. Over the month of June, Argo said it had mined 180 Bitcoin or Bitcoin equivalent compared to 252 in May, taking the total amount of Bitcoin mined in the first six months of the year to 1,669. Mining revenue in June amounted to £1.41mln from £1.93mln in May, meanwhile, the company generated an average monthly mining margin of around 27% compared to 34% in the prior month.
NQ Minerals PLC (AQSE:NQMI) (OTCQB:NQMLF) (OTCQB:NQMIY) has raised £917,485 at 6.5p per share for general working capital purposes and to accelerate the re-opening of the Beaconsfield gold mine in Tasmania, Australia. The company acquired the Beaconsfield gold mine in June 2020. Beaconsfield has a JORC resource of 1.454mln tonnes at 10.3 grams per tonne gold, giving 483,000 ounces.
Inspiration Healthcare Group PLC (LON:IHC) said it has made two board changes, including the appointment of Brook Nolson, currently a non-executive director of the global medical technology company as its chief operating officer, with immediate effect. The company said Nolson, who has been a board director for the last five years will report directly to its chief executive officer Neil Campbell and will assume responsibility for the day to day operations for the whole group. It also announced that Toby Foster, one of the founding members of the group, has been promoted to the position of managing director of Read More – Source
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